Author: Nicola Yoon
Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Delacorte
Spoilers in white...Highlight to read!
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.
Me: I had very high expectations for this book, and it met quite a lot of them. However, there were definitely parts I wasn't too sure about.
The Ups: I really adored the main character, Madeleine Whittier. I feel like she was very relatable and easy to fall in love with. Judging by her circumstances of being cooped up in a single house all her life, she managed to remain positive and somehow live through every single day...without going crazy. I connected with her love of books and her voice was very genuine and believable. I feel like the book was a very smooth read because of her voice. I also think that the author created just the right amount of teenager "rebellion"where it really didn't feel cliche or excessive but rather very realistic. I felt the reckless freedom and that overwhelming breath of everything in the world right along with Maddy.
I also loved the romance. Olly was a beautiful character and him and Maddy together just gave a reader so much joy and hope. It was yet another unexpected pairing and I am such a sucker for all of those...
I really think that the idea of there being nothing and then there being EVERYTHING all at once is absolutely fascinating and something I could spend all day just pondering over. I really liked that concept and how it was embedded into the book and how Maddy got to experience somewhat of that feeling.
The Downs: So what is SCID? I don't really get it...Okay so I haven't done any research on it since I read the book, mostly because I was too lazy to. (whoops) But I also think that the author could have done a WAY better job of explaining what the disease actually IS for clueless people like me. "Bubble disease" or whatever she said doesn't really cut it.
That being said, I didn't understand Maddy's situation as well. Here is a HUGE spoiler. I'm talking MASSIVE: SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE DISEASE. WHAT THE HECK?
That one spoiler literally ruined...crumbled...my view of this book in like one chapter. Okay so now the mom is crazy...was this hinted at in any shape or form throughout the book? No. I went back and read the beginning and it seriously was not inferred at all. It felt very much like shock for shock's sake, and I'm not credible enough to be telling a published author this, but that is a huge no-no.
LIKE HOW DID THE MOM DO IT? You can't just diagnose your child and keep them from school and other government related things for 18 years.
So yeah...a single moment can change your opinion of a book completely.
Overall: Quirky, insightful, awesome characters...but didn't enjoy how the book ended.
Rating: 3 kisses!
I just finished the book as well and I agree with everything you said . I thought that it was a very unique and diverse book, but the disease was unclear and I didn't really know what was going on.
ReplyDelete